Bayliner Trophy Bay RunnerGarry Smith | First Published: June 2006

I took the Bayliner Trophy Bay Runner 1802 WA (Walkaround) out for a spin in the Cairns Inlet recently and was very impressed with the craft’s superior workmanship and functional layout.

Logical layout

The large rear quarter seats pull out providing access to the stern and making space for four anglers to fish comfortably. The internal edge of the gunwale in the rear quarter has an aluminium section that gives it extra width so the angler’s feet can comfortably tuck under the gunwale when using it for support while fighting a fish. Twin through gunwale rod holders are fitted in this alloy section, in trolling position.

The front side of the large near full height motor well has a four shot rocket launchers for rod storage. Sealed hatches give access under the transom to the battery to starboard and the oil storage to port.

Under the floor, between the helm seats, is a large kill pen with a bilge pump fitted in the rear section and separated from the well with its own compartment. A lockable fold back door gives access to the spacious cabin, which comes with a Porta Potty and two small rectangular portholes. The portholes offer some ventilation but they are more suited to southern climates than the north. A front hatch would greatly improve ventilation in the cabin.

The floor inside the cabin has a bilge pump fitted with a automatic float switch, which activates if water gets inside the cabin. The port side of the Vee berth has an access portal towards the stern and houses the bimini, which can be stowed away when not in use. The nose of the Vee berth has a storage shelf, which would be a ideal location for storing anchor rope. Fitting a small hatch above this shelf would make for the best anchoring system. The rope could feed through the hatch while the anchors could be stored in tubes attached to the bow rail when required.

The helm seats are comfortable and the dash layout is roomy and very functional. The large SS wheel makes the Trophy a breeze to handle and all the instruments are within easy reach and vision. All instrumentation comes factory fitted and each switch is clearly marked. A liquid dampened compass is fitted on the centre dash with plenty of room to position chart plotters and a GPS. A grab rail could be added to the passenger side for increased passenger security when underway.

The WA is very comfortable and the security is excellent, from the moulded access steps right to the nose, with its wide walkway and high bow rail.

The anchoring system is unusual and would require some modification to suit TNQ conditions. There is no anchor well built into the boat as standard but a ground tackle tray could easily fit on the foredeck and be stowed away when not in use. There is no bow roller but instead there are twin horn cleats either side of the nose with the navigation lights fitted where the bow roller would normally be positioned.

The Trophy handled the small chop in the Cairns Inlet beautifully with the spray coming out low from under the hull. Even when we got out into the rougher water the boat was particularly dry. The ride in the rough stuff however was a bit stiff for my liking.

The 135hp Mercury Saltwater series Optimax certainly got the Trophy up and flying, especially in the lower rev range, which would make it very economical. At 3000rpm it was already producing 46km/h (29 mph, 25 knots) and was doing 54km/h (34 mph, 29 knots) at 3500 rpm, 62 km/h (39 mph, 33 knots) at 4000 rpm, 67km/h (42 mph, 36 knots) at 4500 rpm, and topped out doing 75km/h (47 mph, 40 kts) at 5000 rpm, which is pretty slick for a fishing boat.

The Trophy 1802 WA is imported and marketed by Bayliner Australia. It’s the perfect craft for a bay runner or around the sheltered waterways of the state but its ride isn’t good enough for long open water travel. It looks great on the water and fits the multi use family fun boat market nicely, where it can be used to tow the kids, day picnics around the islands and some serious fishing when desired.

Boat, motor and trailer prices start from $47,000. For further information contact Quay Marine in Cairns on (07) 40413 166.

Facts

SPECIFICATIONS

Length Overall - 5.49m

Beam - 2.29m

Deadrise at Transom - 16

Weight (Base boat) - 896kg

Length Rigged - 6.02m

Length on Trailer - 7.14m

Height on Trailer - 2.44m

Draft Hull - 0.36m

Draft Max - 0.79m

Bridge Clearance Max - 1.57m

Fuel - 197L

Price – starts from $47,000

Reads: 5880

The fold back, lockable, cabin door gives good access to a roomy cabin fitted with a Porta Potty. The factory fitted dash has all switches clearly marked and there is a stack of room to add marine electronics.

The lockable rectangular portholes are a bit small to adequately ventilate the cabin in the tropics and would be more suited to southern climates.

The walkaround is ideal, with a wide walkway and high bowrail offering excellent security.

The anchoring system is unusual, with two horn cleats fitted either side of the nav lights, which are mounted where the bow roller would normally be fitted.

The large rear quarter seats come out to offer an excellent fishing position at the stern and making it possible to comfortably fish four. Note the through gunwale rod holder in trolling position, the four shot rocket launcher on the front of the engine w

Between the pedestal seats is an under floor kill pen/wet well, with a bilge pump fitted in the rear end, inside its own compartment.